By Steve Neavling
Just hours after the Supreme Court allowed Texas to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally, a federal appeals court late Tuesday issued an order preventing the new law from going into effect.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused the contentious law, which the Biden administration argued conflicts with federal immigration law, The New York Times reports. The administration also contended that states have no authority to legislate immigration laws.
Under the new Texas law, state authorities would have power to arrest migrants who are suspected of crossing the border from Mexico. It also would empower state judges to impose criminal penalties and order people to be deported.
The law caused confusion and prompted backlash. Mexico’s government, for example, said it would not accept the return of any migrants from the state of Texas.
The Department of Homeland Security said the federal government would continue to challenge the law because it will “further complicate” the duties of its “already strained” workforce.
